HPCX 2021: The Race Report and Gallery
HPCX was a glorious day of grassroots cyclocross racing. There was sunshine, there was sand, and there were multiple podiums for the squad.
“It feels like cross weather!” one excited TBD member declared as they climbed into the car.
And it did, for the first time this year. Bright. Sunny. But an undeniable crispness to the breeze that sent the fallen leaves skittering across the car park. TBD was in for a great day of autumnal racing at HPCX.
This would be the first time the race was held since 2019, when the course devolved into an absolute quagmire, so the day of dry racing was a welcome one.
Sandwiched between Charm and NOHO, HPCX is on the more grassroots side of things. That said, the course is a fascinating one and there were some welcome additions (and omissions) this year–– more turning and less climbing made for a ‘muscular’ course. The sand from previous years remained and the course cruelly 180s from one sandpit straight back into the other which made for a very physical 60 seconds.
It was a fantastic day of racing with TBD riders represented in almost every field. There were podiums, falls, a bullhorn and one particularly sage display of tactics from Yosef who opted to run the entire sandpit, passing half the field in the process.
Before we move on from one of New Jersey’s biggest cyclocross races, we have race reports from Ben (To Be Determined) and Leah (To Be Determined f/b Metropolitan Dental Care), alongside a photo gallery from Matt.
HPCX 2021 RACE REPORTS
Leah: 3rd in W3/4/5
HPCX is possibly the most loved local race (not including Rainey Park, obviously!) but I’ve somehow managed to miss it every season. Before race day, I tried to soak up all the lore from teammates and concluded that I was either going to really love or really hate this race. On the plus side, I heard that the course is usually very hilly, which plays to my strengths as someone who loves a good power section and is only okay at the more technical stuff. On the downside, they usually put barriers and/or Belgian steps in the power section. Also there’s probably sand. Also maybe mud. All things that made me slightly nervous.
Thankfully, the sun came out on race morning and I would not have to repeat the muddy nightmare that was Supercross 2018. We arrived early enough to pre-ride the course a couple times which helped with my confidence through the two sand pits. The first sand pit was a little trickier with deeper sections that could easily gobble up a wheel but the second one didn’t seem so bad. I knew I could lose a lot of time and energy here if I messed up, so I tried to stay calm and loose and not think about it too much.
The race started on a wide pavement section, took a left turn into the grass and then immediately led into the sand pits. I was sitting in second wheel through the first sand pit, rode it cleanly (yay!), got overconfident and then promptly fell over in the second sand pit.
I lost a couple spots but tried not to stress about it too much. If I just stayed smooth and steady, I would be fine. I followed Lucia’s wheel for a lap or so, noting the lines she took through the off-camber and twisty wooded sections. Eventually, I passed her in a corner then moved up to third position. I took it pretty chill for the next lap or two since there was no one immediately in front or behind me -- or so I thought! In one of the sections that doubled back, I noticed someone coming up pretty fast behind me. I picked up speed, still trying to stay smooth and not make any stupid mistakes. We came through the finish line and heard the bell with one lap to go. It seemed early (and it was -- they cut the race short by a lap for some reason) but I wasn’t going to argue! I stumbled again going through the last sand pit but picked myself back up and powered through the last lap, losing a little bit of time dismounting at the top of the KOM climb (one day I’ll learn how to ride Belgian steps…) and managing to keep my third place position as I crossed the finish line.
I can see why people love this race! It’s only an hour away, it’s a super fun course with a great mix of technical and power sections, and most importantly, it has top-notch cross hangs and heckles. I’ll be back next year, hopefully with a little more sand-riding experience.
Ben: 2nd in M4
I had just upgraded to the cat 4 field, so I started pretty far back and spent the best part of the first lap working my way back up to the front group. I made it through both sandpits unscathed and started to pick my way through the field. Then, just after I had caught on, my rear wheel bit into a greasy patch on a tricky off-cambre and I came down.
I counted a few people passing me but no worries, there was still plenty of racing to go. I hauled the bike up and hopped back on, only to discover that my chain had dropped. I quickly dismounted to repair it. Leaping on again, I then realised that my wheel and bars were no longer pointing in the same direction. I trundled gingerly through a few corners and pulled into the pit to straighten everything out.
With my bars now straight but my hoods still askew, I left the pit in about 20th place. From here, my job was to pick people off as quickly as possible and not allow myself to sit in once I had caught a group.
That said, it was tough going. I was trying to keep track of my whereabouts in the field, but the task was made harder by the fact that the masters race was being run at the same time. At one point (maybe lap 3?) I caught up to the main knot of riders at the front and made a point to immediately kick on past them up towards the top of the course.
The vibe changes towards the front of a race. I was passing fewer and fewer riders now. Then, in the penultimate lap, the guy ahead of me who I had worked out was in second, dismounted in the sandpit. I knew I had him. We took the 180 corner and went back into the sand more or less together. When I came past him, I felt his shoulders sag a little bit so I put everything I had into ten big pedal strokes and suddenly he was gone. Just one rider left to go.
The last lap was a bit of a haze. I caught the guy in first, a junior of about 15, in the sandpits and followed his lines through the middle of the course. On the long uphill I came past him. We made eye contact and asked me if I was in the cat 4 race. I considered saying I wasn’t but then decided that, on the face of it, lying to a child isn’t very sporting so I replied that I was. From there, we rode more or less in silence with him on my tail.
Then, at the point of the course I fell in the first lap, an off-cambre into a 180, he picked the higher line and came swooping past me. I did my best to follow him through the corner-y section in the woods, but he outrode me and opened 30 feet by the time we came into the final straight. I opened it up and managed to close a little but he was too far ahead. I rolled in in second, one second behind him.
In summary: Second CX race, first cat 4 race and, most importantly, first podium in TBD colours! Maybe next time I’ll lie to the kid.
HPCX Photo Gallery by Matt
A few images captured while not racing/warming up….
Feel free to use this images on Instagram, with credit to @ToBeDetermined.CC
